The procedure of trimming in five steps described here refers to the
hind feet of the cow. For trimming the forefeet you need to replace
inner claw by outer claw and vice versa.
The first claw to trim is the healthy claw (if necessary!). The
length and the angle of the claw are very important. The healthy (inner)
claw should after that be used as an example for the more affected
(outer) claw.
The first three steps serve as preventative trimming and the last two
are curative trimming steps (to treat problems). The claw of an average
Holstein cow is 7.5 cm long and the sole is about 0.5 cm thick. During
preventive trimming you want to shape the claw in such a way that it is
protected from getting problems. So it is of utmost importance not to
over trim (trim to much) the cow.
Step 1:
Cut back the inner claw to a length of 7.5 cm from the coronet
(that's the place where the horn starts). The cut must be perpendicular
to the sole.
Trim back the sole to a thickness of 0.5 cm at the tip of the toe and
leave the thickness of the bulb or heel as it was. Save the height of
the heel!
Step 2:
Cut back the length of the outer claw to the same length as the inner
claw and trim the sole to an equal height as the inner claw (if
possible). Be aware not to over trim (so don't make the sole to thin).
In case of a buckled toe (laminitic claw) it is not always possible to
reach the same height in the toe. The heel or bulb is more important,
because it bears most of the weight and has more pressure to endure.
Step 3:
Trim the claws into a slightly hollow shape (also called egg shape),
starting 2.5 to 3 cm from the toe towards the heel. This is done to
check the typical site for a sole ulcer and secondly this will keep the
space between the claws clean and airy (preventing interdigital
dermatitis).
Step 4:
In case of defects like a white line disease, sole ulcer or wall
ulcer this claw must be trimmed down further. This creates a height
difference between the healthy (inner) and damaged (outer) claw and the
weight bearing is partly transferred to the healthy (inner) claw. The
damaged claw can heal more fast if there is less or no pressure. In case
of too little height difference a block (hoof block adhesive) may be
applied to the healthy (inner) claw to raise its height. In case of
bruising of the sole a height difference can be made, but don’t trim the
sole too thin! In step two the excess weight is removed and this is
normally enough relief for the claw.
Step 5:
Remove loose horn and hard ridges on the claws. Be careful in the
inner claw: here only the fissures in the heel are removed, any further
loose horn is not a problem. Removing it will affect the stability and
the height of the claw.
In the outer claw loose horn and ridges have to be removed in the
last two thirds of the sole surface. And finally, check the feet for
digital dermatitis. If necessary treat it with a hoof gel.
Article Credit:http://www.dairyfarmguide.com/the-five-steps-of-0196.html
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